Good Food Reads: Back In The Saddle

Hey All! I’ve just returned from a fantastic week in coastal Rhode Island with my family. We were blessed to spend a few years living in Boston before we had children and I will always love this time of year on the East Coast. Our time away was filled with lots of hours at the beach (yay for a warm early September and non-crowded beaches!) and plenty of good, fresh seafood. I may or may not have eaten my weight in lobster rolls! Now that I’m back to the Midwest and finally unpacked – let’s not mention the laundry – I’m also getting back into my kitchen. One of my favorite travel tricks is to order groceries to be delivered on the day we return from a trip and we supplemented that this time by also having Blue Apron deliver a few days after we returned! I love not having to stress out about getting to the grocery store for essentials and not having to think about meals (even for someone like me who generally finds cooking relaxin) was great. That being said, I’m really ready to get back into it and so for this week’s Good Food Reads, I’m sharing my list of what I’m hoping to make in the next week or so! I’m back in the proverbial saddle and so excited for a good ride. I hope you join us and share some of your recipe favorites from your kitchens or around the internet!

Because we most definitely over ate while away, I’ve been looking to make sure I’m preparing some healthier meals this week. One way I like to do that is to incorporate a few meals based on fish. My husband and kids love salmon and it’s so easy to prepare. Typically I roast it and top it with some pesto but this time I’m going to try this Tea-Marinated Salmon for a spicy sweet twist on a family favorite! I’ll probably serve it with a light basic salad and maybe these colorful rainbow fruit kabobs from Weelicious. Aren’t they so pretty?

Just before we left, I harvested two of my big basil plants and made a huge batch of pesto. I popped it into the freezer to use later this fall but I still have a couple of plants that need to be used up before the cold weather hits and I’m thinking this Spinach Pesto Pasta with Shrimp would be a great way to use it and get some veggies in! My husband despises tomatoes so I’ll probably double up the asparagus for an extra veggie punch.

In the not so healthy but seriously so awesome category, I’m going to try making this gorgeous Danish Braid with Apple and Cream Cheese! I love, love, love every recipe I’ve ever tried from The Vanilla Bean Baking book and while I’ve never made a Danish Braid before, this one has me all excited to give it a go. While fall is pumpkin spice everything for some people, I’m really more of an apple girl and this sounds like so much fun! Wish me luck!

Another constant hit in my house is macaroni and cheese. My four year old is, overall, a really great eater but given the choice, he will definitely eat mac & cheese as often as he can! I’m hoping to give this Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese from Broma bakery a go and see if we can make the meal a little more family friendly!

While I’ll be spending this weekend at work, I’m hoping to take a day early next week and make a big batch of Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. Alexandra’s Kitchen published this genius post simplifying an already easy recipe and I am super excited to try it. After all, who likes to peel tomatoes?!?!

It’s also football season around here and I don’t know about you, but I definitely find myself wanting wings more this time of year. Bookmarking these Game-Day Baked Chicken Wings with Four Sauces for my next weekend off! I think Lane’s gorgeous Puttanesca Bruschetta would also be great for a game day treat! This gorgeous Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Dip with Olives and Herbs is on my to make list. Might be game day or maybe book club!

And…because I love my slow cooker: Slow Cooker Butter Chicken. Yum.

What’s on your list of must makes this week? Send us your Good Food Reads on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram! We can’t wait to read them!